Stanford's Troy Taylor, Elic Ayomanor & Ashton Daniels React to STUNNING Comeback Win vs. Colorado

[Music] for you I mean it's electric atmosphere almost circus like you come in losing streak it's just how big is this for you and this team right now yeah I I I mean I'm really happy F guys they've been through a lot and and for them and um they just you know early in the year we had a couple of tough games and we had couple losses where we could have won easily um and I was really worried about how demoralized they get so I spent a lot of time meeting and talking with them but after about three or four weeks I realized that these guys are never going to quit and they're never going to stop preparing and competing um and you know we talked about how close we were just a really good football team um how close we were to to winning games um and so I think to answer your question yeah it's it's a big win um but uh we're we're mindful of moving on to the next game we'll enjoy this one but um they're all they're all big games but it's a it's a it's a special game for these guys to be down 29 nothing against a really good football team and just not not quit and continue to to make plays and there were a number of times down I mean Colorado went right down and scored when we closed it and we came back and scored and uh you know the overtime periods easily easily guys could have kind of given up a little bit but they have never done that since I've been here and uh just really proud I tell them they inspire me this is an inspiring group of young men that um have never been around this quality of uh a group of men that just give everything they got regardless of what they're going against thank you thank you Ben Parker hey coach uh just want to get your thoughts on elai Manor what he brought for you guys just kind of at what at what point did you kind of realize that this was a guy that you could kind of consistently ride and really kind of ride to get back in this game and pull off the subset yeah you know he's he's always had a lot of ability he's just you know he overcame a leg injury that he that he missed last season and um we saw him in the summer that he continued to get better and then once the knee brace came off he continued to play faster um made some good plays during the year um but you know you just really saw his confidence come alive after after that first touchdown the thing is that people aren't going to remember is he had a like a 70 yarder that was in his hands um and a lot of people could go into the tank and that would be it um but he didn't do that he responded you know we had a brief conversation afterwards and uh I could see in his eyes that he was he was totally engaged and and ready to continue to compete and uh he put together really an epic performance Harold all right coach sorry if you asked this I think you're on M at the start but I had one question about the defense and then one on defensively what were you able to do to get pressure it seemed like Sanders had a lot of time in the first half and then you had some big sacks especially on fourth down in the third quarter yeah well he's a hard guy to get on the ground so you know um there were times where we had shot out of an opportunity and he would he's a magician I mean he gets out of it and he makes plays and could be really frustrating I've watched all of his games you know some respect um and just how tough he is and how he how resilient he is and um bringing his team back consistently over and over again so we knew it would take four quarters um it ended up taking a lot more than four quarters but um our defensive staff did a great job players obviously stepped up and then the big interception at the end was a was an incredible play and then offensively I think you had you're six of 18 for 35 yards in the first half and then almost you know 400 yards in the second half what was the difference there would you say uh we made some we made some big plays you know we had they were playing a lot of man coverage um which we expected coming in we thought they would play they've been playing more man coverage as at the near the end last few games and they've been successful and they got talented athletes um and so they did a good job we just didn't create much space um at wide receiver in the first half um we were winning the one-on-one matchups and uh we had a total turnaround in the uh second half we won those matchups and you know created big plays and then once you once you get it rolling um you got an opportunity to to score some points which we did we're gonna take one more question from each Ben yeah I just want to get your thoughts on Ashton's performance obviously a lot of poers in the pocket to do what he did tonight just talk about what he gave you tonight in this one did you know and it's great because he wasn't perfect but um he continued again that resiliency word that I kept bringing up um he would make plays when he needed to um and it's a man it's a long game and you got to be able to just play through the ups and downs they're always going to happen whether you win we had a lot of Downs in the first half um but uh we were able to turn it around and a big part of it was just uh you know his Focus even when he would miss a pass or miss a read and I you would talk to him about it he was like I got you coach I got you and I could tell that he was was he was seeing it well um and he was confident in his teammates and um that was that was a big difference in the game and Harold you said you weren't worried about kind of the players mental state during the losing streak but do you think like the program needed a win like this to expect the fan base or something you know maybe not the players but just overall kind of yeah I mean you know it's when you put so much into it everybody wants to win right and and um U so I think it's great for for everybody and we're very connected with the University and in Stanford in terms of the alumni and all those things and the people involved they care so much about Stanford Athletics in Stanford football so absolutely it's a it's a great win for Stanford University and our alumni because uh we have a great alumni and uh we want to make them proud and um you know we're going to get it done here there's no question um and I think you know I got a chance to see a little bit of of what we can do here uh we got a long ways to go there's no question but the things that are really important the resolve um the tenacity the courage um the willingness and the the the need to be great at something we have we have all that now we just got to continue to proove and get better thank you so much we are back we have both Ashton Daniels and ell Monica since you're here you can go first um this is for either of you how big a win was this when the kick went through what um yeah I mean I think it means everything to us um you put in so much work um hard work throughout the offseason um during the season um and it's finally paid off we've had a couple of chances um past couple of games and we just haven't finished yet um and we did tonight and now that we know what we can do and what we're capable of I'm I'm really looking forward to the rest of the season I think it it shows a lot of resilience from Josh cardi as well uh like missing the field goal earlier in the game and then coming back when the the game is on the line and just hitting it straight through the pipes I think that shows a lot of resilience from him and then not only him but the rest of the team as well and then the record setting performance uh is that just a matter of you guys syncing it up real well or what was I mean somebody had to run there was that part but how did that work out so well yeah um I I think it was long over do um Alex's been through a lot since he got here um went through ACL surgery all that kind of stuff and I haven't seen anyone work as hard as as he has um and and I'm I'm glad to see that that it's starting to pay off um I knew I mean I can count on him I told him earlier um when when I missed that post I told him I came back to him and I said we're GNA keep coming to you um just be ready flush it um and let's work and he did um and I'm extremely proud of him and I know that I I have have an extremely reliable guy that I can count on did you know it was record setting at any point or you just knew the game I think I was just like really caught up in every moment I don't think I was ever thinking about like the past stats or like what the future stats would be I think I was just trying to take it play bypl and I think one thing I realized is I need to get in a lot better shape like as as the game goes on I'm like really like huffing and puffing on the auction tank I'm really trying to I had to really push through it and like just to think about how Travis Hunter plays both sides of the ball like I really like can see like I have so much respect for him to see that he does it every game Ben yeah for El like uh just kind of talk about what it what's kind of going through your mind as you kind of make some of those catches uh just obviously is it instinct or just kind of how do you kind of Step Up and and just make difficult catches when there's so much pressure on the line I think uh truthfully like you're not really thinking about it in a moment I think when you're making plays like that you're really like in the zone like you're the only thing you can think of is like the second that you're in and then when you get to the next second you think about that second and I don't think I was ever like thinking about anything else than what the moment that I was in at that at that time Harold what was the conversation like at halftime I mean to be down 29 nothing I think ashon you had maybe like 30 passing yards at that point and like you know Alec obvious you know you missed that t play in the first half just what was the conversation like um I mean I I think we knew that that we were right there um we were driving the ball um we just couldn't finish in the end zone um and we knew that that we weren't putting points on the board like we should be um and then coming out we just knew that that we just had to just stick to to what we know and what we do um and it'll end up falling our way um couple guys you know gave some speeches in the locker room fired us up um and I think we came out with a lot of energy um I'd like to see us play like that from the jump but um I'm extremely proud of of how resilient we were and how we came out um firing away and and we never stopped fighting until the very end we'll take one more from both Ben and Harold Ben yeah just how fun is it to silence a crowd like that because obviously that was a very electric atmosphere how much fun is it to end a game where the opposing you know home crowd is deflated and quiet like that yeah I think it's more I think it's less about the silencing opposing crowd and more about like winning with your teammates and your brothers I think like the feeling of knowing that as a team you all persevered all the way until the end and kept fighting is a lot more satisfying than so on quote unquote silencing the opposing team's crowd and Harold yeah can you guys just take me through that play in the first overtime I mean like the Highlight Reel cat he kind of wrapped actually it seemed like he was pretty covered he still obviously threw it and then I like just kind of wrap your arms around Hunter and hold on to the ball like yeah um from from the jump um one of one of Coach Taylor's principles is just at the quarterback position if we give our receivers a chance they're gonna go up and make plays we have extremely talented guys that no matter how crazy the catch is I trust them them that they're going to go up and make the plays um I saw ell one-on-one in the boundary um and I knew the safety wasn't getting over top so I just thought why not let me just give him a chance and he went up and made probably the craziest play I've seen um or been a part of all right thank you so much sorry take well I think uh I just looked at coach Osborne Our receiver coach I knew the ball was coming to me just based on the coverage and I seen like the look that Coach O had in his eyes and I knew like like this is the moment that makes or breaks you and it's just one of those ones that you got to have and it just ended up happening all right thank you all have a good night thank you guys [Music] oh